The Battle of Ontario ain’t what it used to be. One goal away from being in the Stanley Cup Final last June, the Senators have tumbled down into the nether regions of the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs are trending in the opposite direction, battling with the red hot Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division.

These two 1967 expansion cousins would make for an entertaining 2018 Stanley Cup Final. In order for that to happen, both of these clubs are going to have to get through three tough playoff rounds in their respective Conferences. For now, we’ll settle for this Sunday afternoon matinee.

For pretty much the entire season, the Lightning have set the pace in the Atlantic Division. The Maple Leafs appeared to have second place nailed down, but the red hot Boston Bruins have crashed that party. Tampa shutout Toronto 2-0 back on January 2nd, and these two teams meet up again two weeks from tonight.

At the beginning of the season, most people expected it to be the Blackhawks to be ready to print 2018 playoff tickets, and the expansion Golden Knights would be counting down the days until the end of the regular season. Turns out it’s the other way around. Vegas have upended all expectations, and will qualify for the playoffs in their first year of existence. Chicago still has a shot at making the post-season cut in the Western Conference, but the trouble is the ‘Hawks have a number of teams to leapfrog in order to grab one of the two Western wildcard spots.

A year after leading the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens are most likely going to miss the playoffs this time around. The Avalanche may also miss the playoffs, but the fact they’re even in the conversation this late in the regular season is an accomplishment for the Colorado franchise, who were dead last in the NHL last year.

Thursday, February 15th – New York Rangers at New York Islanders
7:00 PM Eastern – Sirius XM 91

One of the great rivalries in the NHL, both the Rangers and Islanders are in the thick of the race for an Eastern Wildcard spot. Both of these teams fare better on home ice than in the other team’s barn.